Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury is a town in Dorset, England, with a population of around 7,314. It has one pharmacy and around 11 restaurants and cafés, with 4 bus stops and Gillingham railway station 6.3km away. The average sold house price is around £367,534, and there were around 63 recorded street crimes in June 2026, most commonly anti-social behaviour. This page gathers weather, crime, food hygiene, transport, flood risk, house prices, population, deprivation and your local MP for the Shaftesbury area — all from official UK open data.
On deprivation, the Dorset area is around the average in England (IoD2025). The wider council area has around 379,579 residents at roughly 152 people per km².
My Area Score
Good
Ranked 123rd of 294 English council areas — better than 58% of them.
A percentile blend of eight open measures (100 = best in England); bars show this area’s England-wide percentile on each. See the rankings · methodology
Weather
11°CSunny
- Today: 11° / 6° · 18% rain
- Tomorrow: 11° / 5° · Sunny
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 07:04Sunset 16:40
9h 36m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
25US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: fine particles (PM2.5)
Source: WAQI · Bournemouth, United Kingdom
Air pollution (PM2.5)
- 5.5 µg/m³ average fine-particle (PM2.5) concentration
- 4.1% of adult (30+) deaths estimated attributable to fine-particle pollution
Lower is better for both figures.
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2024
Crime
61 reported · August 2026▲ 13% YoY
- Anti-social behaviour24
- Violence & sexual offences13
- Shoplifting8
- Criminal damage & arson4
1 stop & searches · mostly stolen goods
Neighbourhood team: Gillingham and Shaftesbury · Dorset
Local policing priorities
- Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Location: Gillingham Issue: Anti-social behaviour remains a persistent issue in parts of the town, impacting…
- Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Location: Shaftesbury Issue: Overall ASB is persistent in parts of the town which is impacting local resident…
Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)
Road safety
675 reported road collisions (2025)
215 killed or seriously injured · 893 casualties · 17.8 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
106 food businesses within 2 miles
- 82 rated 4–5 ★ (77 top)
- 1 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Gillingham (6.3 km)
- 4 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Gillingham (Dorset) (6.3 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
£328,589 average▼ 0.4% YoY
Across Dorset · to 2026-08
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£1,056 average monthly rent▲ 4.9% YoY
- 1 bed £732
- 2 bed £967
- 3 bed £1,191
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-08
Affordability
9.9× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 9.9 times median annual pay (9.5× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Property sales
5,771 property sales in the last 12 months
12 months to May 2026
A busier or quieter market is not by itself good or bad. Monthly counts are small and volatile, so only the annual total is shown.
Source: HM Land Registry UK HPI, 12 months to 2026-05
Fuel prices
- Cheapest petrol: 158.9p · Esso (6.7 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 189.9p · Esso (6.7 km)
3 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
7 charging locations within ~8 km
- 3 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 120 kW
- Nearest: Tesco Superstore-Shaftesbury (0 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Swimming pools1
- Sports pitches21
- Playgrounds11
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Population
379,579 residents in Dorset · 152/km²
- Under 16: 15%
- 16–64: 55%
- 65+: 30%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Internal migration
- Moves in from elsewhere in the UK20,787
- Moves out to elsewhere in the UK16,709
- Net moves+4,078
Residential moves between local authorities (counts of moves, not people) · ONS Internal migration, YE Jun 2025
Deprivation
Around the average in England
Ranked 174 of 296 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
2% of neighbourhoods are in England’s most deprived 10%
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025
Council tax
£2,765 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band C (23% of 187,680)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
184 schools · 49,648 pupils
119 primary · 18 secondary · 47 other
Ofsted: 67 of 85 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (79%)
157 inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- Beaminster SchoolGood
- Dorset Studio SchoolGood
- Shaftesbury SchoolGood
- The Blandford SchoolGood
- The Swanage SchoolGood
- The Woodroffe SchoolGood
- Wey Valley AcademyGood
- All Saints' Church of England AcademyRequires improvement
- Budmouth Academy WeymouthRequires improvement
- Queen Elizabeth's SchoolRequires improvement
- Ferndown Upper School
- Gillingham School
- Lytchett Minster School
- Sturminster Newton High School
- The Gryphon School
- The Purbeck School
- The Sir John Colfox Academy
- The Thomas Hardye School
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Dorset
Care & health services
388 CQC-registered services
- Care homes120
- GP practices61
- Dentists85
- Homecare agencies87
- Hospitals & hospices14
CQC ratings: 97% of rated services Good or Outstanding
Source: Care Quality Commission · Dorset
Heritage & planning
- Not in the Green Belt
- 279 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
683 applications decided
91.7% granted · 626 granted, 57 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q2
Your MP
Simon Hoare
Conservative
North Dorset
Recent votes:
- NoDraft Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site Visits) (England) (Amendment and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2026
- NoDraft Code of Practice on Access and Unfair Practices During the Recognition and Derecognition Process
- NoNorthern Ireland Troubles Bill: Third Reading
- AyeNorthern Ireland Troubles Bill Committee: New Clause 12
Source: UK Parliament
Council control
Liberal Democrat majority
- Lab 2
- Con 30
- LD 42
- Grn 4
- Oth 4
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Schools4
- GPs & clinics1
- Pharmacies2
- Supermarkets2
- Parks & greens9
- Restaurants & cafés13
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
20,570 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2026)
Jobs
141 jobs advertised · £38,126 avg
e.g. Financial Services Administrator, Installer, Postal Delivery Driver (Hiring Immediately)
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£737 median full-time weekly pay
2.3% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£27,403 disposable income per head (2024)
Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI
Energy efficiency
43% of homes rated EPC C or above
Most common band: D · 186,790 certificates
9.9% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
33% low-carbon electricity
Gas 52% · Solar 18% · Imports 15% · Wind 7%
220 gCO₂/kWh · high intensity
Latest estimate for South England · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 85.4 yrs women · 82.1 yrs men
Healthy life expectancy: 65.6 women · 65.3 men
66% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Wellbeing
- Life satisfaction7.6
- Feeling worthwhile7.9
- Happiness yesterday7.6
- Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)2.9
Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23
Health services
4 GP surgeries · 2 pharmacies in SP7
- Hmp Guys Marsh
- Adhd Service - Clinical Partners
- Bnssg Clinical Partners Rtc Adhd
Source: NHS Organisation Data Service
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in North Dorset:
- Permanent driving ban on intoxicated drivers guilty of causing death474 local signatures · 29,985 nationwide
- Hold a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks331 local signatures · 127,144 nationwide
- Remove sentence reductions for guilty pleas in controlling and coercive cases263 local signatures · 105,832 nationwide
- Support the Ceramics Industry and protect British manufacturing jobs and skills198 local signatures · 111,154 nationwide
- Change surrogacy law to recognise intended parents from birth176 local signatures · 113,305 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-10-05
Notable places nearby
Shaftesbury F.C. · 0.2 kmShaftesbury Football Club are a football club based in Shaftesbury, Dorset, England. The club is affiliated to the Dorset County Football Association and is a FA chartered Standard club. They are currently members of…
- The Breeze (North Dorset) · 0.3 km
The Breeze (North Dorset) was an Independent Local Radio station serving North Dorset from 1995 to 2020.
Shaftesbury · 0.3 kmShaftesbury is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is on the A30 road, 20 miles west of Salisbury and 23 miles north-northeast of Dorchester, near the border with Wiltshire. It is the only significant hillt…
Shaftesbury Town Hall · 0.4 kmShaftesbury Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street, Shaftesbury, Dorset, England. The town hall, which is the meeting place of Shaftsbury Town Council, is a Grade II listed building.
North Dorset (constituency) · 0.4 kmNorth Dorset is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Simon Hoare of the Conservative Party.
Gold Hill, Shaftesbury · 0.4 kmGold Hill is a steep cobbled street in the town of Shaftesbury in the English county of Dorset. The view looking down from the top of the street has been described as "one of the most romantic sights in England."
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Compare Dorset with nearby areas
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Shaftesbury?
- Shaftesbury is a town in Dorset, England, in the Dorset local authority.
- What is the population of Shaftesbury?
- Shaftesbury has an approximate settlement population of 7,314.
- How deprived is Shaftesbury?
- The Dorset local authority, which includes Shaftesbury, is around the average in England on the IoD2025.